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HC_Karl_Smesko 2019-20 headshot

Karl Smesko

  • Title
    Head Coach
  • Phone
    (239) 590-7038

Smesko enters his 23rd season with FGCU. In 26 years on the sidelines, his resume sits among the best all-time in women's college basketball history. Smesko is eighth overall in total wins 666-137 (.829) and third overall win percentage among all active DI women's basketball head coaches, behind none other than UConn's Geno Auriemma (1,213-262, .882) and LSU's Kim Mulkey (723-118, .860).

FGCU is coming off a 28-5* record, a perfect 15-0* campaign in the ASUN and their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles won each regular season conference game last season by double digits, recorded a home Power Four win over Kentucky, defeated No. 18 North Carolina on a neutral court and received votes in the AP Poll. The Green and Blue secured their eighth consecutive Atlantic Sun Tournament title to earn a 12-seed in the March Madness field. FGCU took fifth-seeded Oklahoma to the wire, but ultimately fell 73-70 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Smesko has engineered the program's ascension with its #Raining3s attack. FGCU has knocked down 300 or more made threes in 15 straight seasons, leading the country in made threes in five out of the last seven seasons. The Eagles produced 325 treys a season ago, placing sixth overall in the nation. The Green and Blue set the NCAA record for the most made threes in a single season back in 2018 with 431.

Through such, FGCU has won 14 ASUN regular season championships and has danced its way to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, advancing to the Round of 32 four times as the winningest 12th seed in NCAA Tournament history. FGCU is the winningest team in NCAA DI women's basketball history, in regard to overall winning percentage. FGCU has compiled a 610-110 (.845) record under Smesko's leadership, which puts the Eagles far ahead of the next closest blue blood programs UConn (.799) and Tennessee (.798). The Eagles qualified for the record after completing its 10th full season as a DI program in 2020-21.

Smesko has also produced a level of sustained and nearly unmatched success, guiding the Eagles to 14 straight 25-win seasons - an accomplishment only achieved by UConn and FGCU. In fact, FGCU has produced 30 or more wins in three out of the last five seasons. The Eagles have won 92 games over the last three seasons, ranking third most in the nation -- trailing only South Carolina (109) and UConn (94). FGCU is ahead of both LSU and Stanford with 91 wins apiece. In 2021, FGCU tamed the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge 88-74.

FGCU has finished in the top 25 in five out of the last seven years. In 2022-23, the Eagles finished No. 24 overall after winning its 13th ASUN regular season title, ninth ASUN Tournament crown and an NCAA First Round battle over fifth-seeded Washington State. FGCU posted its highest finish in the poll during the 2014-15 season at No. 21 overall.

UPDATED: 10/14/24

JOURNEY TO FORT MYERS
Smesko, who was hired at FGCU in May 2001 at the age of 30, had two successful head coaching stops at Walsh University (1997-98) and Purdue University Fort Wayne (1999-2001) sandwiched around a brief assistant coaching stop at the University of Maryland (1998-99), before landing in Fort Myers.

Smesko began his head coaching career at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio and produced one magical year in his only season. Not only did his team win 12 more games than the previous year, but he led the Cavaliers to a 29-5 record and an NAIA Division II national title. With his team predicted to finish sixth in a nine-team Mid-Ohio Conference and being the 32nd and final selection into the NAIA tournament field, Smesko’s team defeated five nationally-ranked teams in six days to claim the national title as he was named the Mid-Ohio Conference and NAIA Coach of the Year at just 27 years old. Sophomore Melanie Scheetz set Walsh’s single season program scoring record under his guidance, and that season remains the only time the women’s basketball program ever played for a national title at the college.

“I've coached all my life, but I never have seen a team prepared any better than we were,” Walsh University athletics director Jim Dennison told the Naples Daily News in 2007. “I'm sure (Smesko) does the same thing (at FGCU). He just works at the game. He's meticulous in everything he does, and he has that knack of being able to teach and work with kids."
 
Along with his Walsh team, Smesko was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on May 19, 2012. His Cavaliers became the first unseeded team to win an NAIA National Championship when it came from behind to defeat Mary Hardin-Baylor, 73-66, in the Division II title game in Sioux City. He was one of the 22 inductees in the seventh induction class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. More info on that team can be found here.
 
karl smesko walsh 1998 trophy

Smesko then spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland in 1998-99 before taking over the women’s basketball program at Purdue Fort Wayne, which was then known as IPFW, from 1999-2001. Upon his hiring, he took over a team that had posted a 2-24 record in 1998-99 and won only eight games from 1997-99. In his first year, the team had an 11-win improvement (13-14) in what was the only losing season of his head coaching career. The following season, he led the team to a 19-8 record before heading off to Fort Myers. His second-year win total is still tied for the fourth-best in Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball history entering 2022-23.

On May 2, 2001, Smesko accepted the head coaching position at FGCU, which didn’t even have a gym at the time and would begin as a Division II independent in 2002-03. One year later, he knocked off a top-20 ranked NAIA team in the program’s very first game and embarked on a 30-1 season in the program’s first year. The rest is history.

LEADING THE 3-POINT REVOLUTION
Smesko’s 1999-2000 team at Purdue Fort Wayne provided a glimpse of what would become a staple of his offense with the Green and Blue as his team made 9.3 3-pointers per game, which led the nation and was the seventh-best single season in NCAA Division II history at the time.

At FGCU, Smesko has turned FGCU into one of the premier 3-point shooting teams in the nation.

  • Overall, his teams have made a combined 6,775-for-19,509 (.347) from long range over his 21 years. In fact, the team has gone without at least one made in only one game in program history – Feb. 21, 2006 vs Lynn University (0-for-11). In each of the past four seasons, the Eagles have led the nation in 3-point field goals made.
  • FGCU has made at least 10 or more 3-point field goals in a single game 344 times, including a single-season record 25 times in 2017-18. They have at least 20 games of at least 10 or more in each of the past six years, as well as 15 consecutive years with at least 15 such performances.
  • Entering the 2022-23 season, FGCU has produced seven seasons of at least 10 3-point field goals made per game, which is the most in the nation among the 21 programs to achieve it at least once. Sacramento State, Idaho and DePaul are tied for second with four apiece and neither of them have achieved that total since at least 2018-19.
  • In 2017-18, FGCU joined DePaul as the first two teams to eclipse 400 made 3-point field goals in a season in NCAA Division I history, and they remain the only two entering the 2022-23 season. In fact, the Eagles stood out that season in the NCAA’s deepest 3-point shooting campaign as eight teams averaged 10 or more made per game in 2017-18, which was equal to the total from the previous two seasons combined and the same as 2009-15 combined. Six teams reached the milestone in 2018-19, four more followed the year after, five achieved it in 2020-21 and three in 2021-22.
  • In 2019-20, the Eagles became the first program in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to record five straight seasons with at least 1,000 attempts, and they extended it to seven this past season. Sacramento State achieved the yearly benchmark over four straight seasons from 2013-17, and DePaul had a three-year streak snapped in 2020-21. The 2013-14 FGCU squad joined Sacramento State as the first two teams to attempt 1,000 in a season.
  • In 2017-18, the Green and Blue made what remains an NCAA Division I single season record 431 3-pointers on 1,190 attempts, equating out to a .362 percentage. In doing so, the team made and attempted over twice as many as they did in the program’s initial season in 2002-03 (212-for-535). Since that first year, FGCU has made at least 300 in a season 14 times, including each of the past 13 seasons.
  • The 2017-18 team produced three of the program’s eight games all-time with at least 20 or more, and the Eagles have added five games with 19 over the past four seasons. In a 99-37 win over Ave Maria on Dec. 11, 2021, the Green and Blue made a program-record 23 from long distance, topping the previous record of 22 from Jan. 12, 2013 and March 7, 2018, the latter of which is still the program’s postseason record.
  • Since 1988, there have been just 37 instances of an NCAA Division I team making at least 20 3-point field goals in a game, and FGCU owns eight of those. In fact, five teams achieved the mark in 2021-22, and the Eagles had the highest one.
  • Prior to breaking the single-season record for made 3-point field goals in 2017-18, FGCU claimed a then single-season NCAA record 342 in 2011-12, which was the first year they were eligible for NCAA statistical championships. Had they been eligible in 2010-11, they also would have led the nation with 350 – 26 more than the second-place team. The 2009-10 team would have finished second. In fact, over the past 11 years, the Green and Blue have finished among the nation’s top five in made 3-point field goals every year, including five first-place finishes.

TITLE TOWN
Smesko, who has led his team to either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT berth in all 15 of the program’s Division I seasons, has won 12 regular season ASUN championships and nine tournament titles, while leading the Eagles to a 232-18 (.928) record in conference play since the program elevated to Division I status in 2007-08. In fact, that winning percentage has improved to 168-6 (.966) since 2011-12 with six undefeated seasons. On top of that, while helping FGCU clinch 11 of the past 12 regular season conference championships, Smesko has compiled a 30-2 record (.938) in ASUN tournament play, which is a league record for both total wins and winning percentage.
 
COACHING MILESTONES
OVERALL
Smesko, who captured his 400th career win in just his 493rd game (two faster than the pace of legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma), tallied his 500th victory on Nov. 25, 2018 against American University in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu. He achieved his 600th win on Feb. 3, 2022 in his 726th try with a 71-44 victory over Central Arkansas which was faster than Pat Summitt (734), Tara VanDerveer (767) and C. Vivian Stringer (785). In comparison, that is just 10 games slower than Auriemma (716) won his 600th.

100th win – Dec. 28, 2003 vs Cheyney (85-46)
200th win – Jan. 19, 2008 vs Kennesaw State (75-64)
300th win – Dec. 19, 2011 vs USC Upstate (77-53)
400th win – Feb. 21, 2015 vs USC Upstate (75-59)
500th win – Nov. 25, 2018 vs American (90-71)
600th win - Feb. 3, 2022 vs Central Arkansas (71-44)

DIVISION I ERA (including probationary period from 2007-11)
100th win – March 18, 2011 vs Drexel in WNIT first round (73-67)
200th win – Jan. 24, 2015 vs Kennesaw State (61-47)
300th win -  March 2, 2018 vs NJIT in ASUN quarterfinals (83-62)
400th win - Jan.  9, 2022 vs Jacksonville (83-64)

AT FGCU
100th win - Nov. 18, 2006 vs Puerto Rico Rio Piedras (106-36)
200th win - Feb. 11, 2010 vs Jacksonville (63-55)
300th win - Jan. 23, 2014 vs Jacksonville (56-49)
400th win - Feb. 18, 2017 vs USC Upstate (80-50)
500th win - Dec. 21, 2020 vs Florida International (80-66)
600th win - Feb. 3, 2022 vs Central Arkansas (71-44)

GOING STREAKING
Since taking over as FGCU’s head coach, Smesko has guided the program to 18 winning streaks lasting at least 10 games, led by a 34-game streak from Nov. 16, 2006 to March 22, 2007. The top Division I era winning streak is 26 games from Dec. 6, 2014 to March 21, 2015, and the Eagles nearly matched that with a 25-game streak from Nov. 29, 2020 to March 21, 2021. Last year’s team produced a 15-game streak.

Over a span of three seasons (2019-22), Smesko and the Eagles compiled a 30-game road winning streak, which is tied for the third-longest in NCAA Division I history behind UConn (62, 2014-19) and UConn (34, 2000-04). In fact, the program also produced a 22-game road winning streak from 2014-16, which is the 12th-longest all-time. In terms of ASUN regular season games alone, FGCU has produced four streaks all-time of at least 25 games, highlighted by a pair of 44 game streaks. Including the postseason, the 45-game streak from 2014-16 is a program-record.

Longest Road Winning Streaks in NCAA Division I History

Streak Dates
62 UConn (2014-19)
34 UConn (2000-04)
30 FGCU (2019-22)
30 UConn (2007-11)
30 Notre Dame (2011-15)
28 Baylor (2010-14)
27 Stanford (2011-14)
26 Texas (1985-88)
23 South Carolina (2018-21)
23 La. Tech (1981-83)
23 Tennessee (2002-05)
22 FGCU (2014-16)

Longest Winning Streaks in Program History (2002-present)

Streak Dates
34 11/16/06 to 3/22/07
26 12/6/14 to 3/21/15
25 11/29/20 to 3/21/21
21 12/29/11 to 3/3/12
21 12/28/12 to 3/8/13
21 12/20/15 to 3/31/16
21 12/21/02 to 2/15/03

Longest Regular Season Winning Streaks (2002-present)

Streak Dates
45 12/29/05 to 3/3/07
29 11/29/20 to 12/1/21
23 12/6/14 to 11/13/15
22 12/28/12 to 11/20/13
20 12/29/11 to 11/14/12

Longest Division I Era Winning Streaks (2007-present)

Streak Dates
26 12/6/14 to 3/21/15
25 11/29/20 to 3/21/21
21 12/29/11 to 3/3/12
21 12/28/12 to 3/8/13
21 12/20/15 to 3/31/16

FGCU IN THE POLLS
AP, COACHES POLLS
At FGCU, Smesko has led his teams to national rankings in 2014-15, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23. In 2014-15, the Eagles spent the season’s final five weeks in the AP Poll, rising as high as No. 20 in the final three. They also rose as high as No. 21 in the final four Coaches Polls. In 2017-18, the team was ranked twice in the Coaches Poll – Feb. 1 and April 2, which was the final poll of the season. In 2019-20, the Green and Blue rose as high as No. 22 in the Coaches Poll in February en route to making program history with a single-season record 10 total appearances in the Coaches Poll, including eight straight to conclude the season. This past season, FGCU finished ranked in both boths for the first time since 2014-15, capping the campaign 24th in the AP and 25th in the Coaches Poll. Smesko's squad is the only mid-major program with four straight AP Top 25 finishes over the past four campaigns. FGCU has finished in the top 25 in five out of the last six years.


AS RANKED
Since the program’s inception in 2002-03, Smesko has guided the Green and Blue to a 110-11 record in games as a ranked team. After earning the program’s first-ever ranking in December 2005, FGCU ran up a 53-3 record over the next year and a half to conclude the Division II era. In 2014-15, the Eagles earned their first-ever Division I era ranking and have since compiled a 57-8 all-time record as a ranked Division I program.

DIVISION II ERA
As a Division II program, FGCU earned the program’s first-ever ranking from the WBCA in December 2005 and were ranked in every poll over the rest of the Division II era that ran through the end of the 2006-07 season. In that final D-II year, the team earned its first No. 1 ranking in early February and spent the rest of the season atop the poll.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Not only has Smesko produced an extraordinary level of winning on the court, but he has promoted a great level of academic success and graduating student-athletes.

The program has had nine student-athletes make either the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA) Scholar-Athlete team at least once or earn a D-I-AAA postgraduate scholarship - Kerstie Phills (2021-22), Keri Jewett-Giles (2019-20), Taylor Gradinjan (2017-18), Jordin Alexander (2016-17), Stephanie Haas (2014-15, 2015-16), Sarah Hansen (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14), Courtney Chihil (2010-11, 2011-12) and Sha Carter (2022-23). Haas and Jenna Cobb also earned postgraduate scholarships from the DI-AAA.

Since the inception of the ASUN’s All-Academic team in 2011-12, Smesko has coached 16 recipients, including seven ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners. The recipients include – Sha Carter (2022-23), Kerstie Phills (2021-22), Keri Jewett-Giles (2019-20), Destiny Washington (2018-19), Lisa Zderadicka (2018-19), Taylor Gradinjan (2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16), Stephanie Haas (2015-16, 2014-15), DyTiesha Dunson (2015-16), Sarah Hansen (2013-14, 2012-13, 2011-12), Brittany Kennedy (2012-13), Courtney Chihil (2011-12). Hansen was named the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year the first three seasons, while Haas won it the next two. Jewett-Giles nabbed the honor in 2019-20.

As a whole, the FGCU women’s basketball team has earned a spot on the WBCA’s Academic Top 25 team in 2011-12 (9th), 2012-13 (4th), 2013-14 (11th) 2014-15 (9th) and 2015-16 (19th). They earned special recognition in 2021-22. 

2022-23 SEASON
The Green & Blue finished the 2023-23 campaign 28-4* in head coach Karl Smesko's 21st season, an effort that included the program's 13th ASUN Conference regular season title, 10th ASUN Tournament Championship, ninth NCAA Tournament berth and fourth NCAA Tournament victory.

The Eagles etched their names into the NCAA record book this season, winning their third game as a 12 seed – the most in tournament history – by defeating fifth-seeded Washington State 74-63. 

FGCU finished the year with 425 3-pointers – just six 3s behind their own all-time record of 431 in 2017-18. The Eagles tripled their opponents' treys total, allowing only 144. FGCU led the nation in made 3s per game for the fourth consecutive season.

Ranked No. 24 in the final USA Today/Coaches Top 25 poll, the Green & Blue emerged as the only non-Power 5/Big East team to be ranked in the final poll – and is the only mid-major with four straight Top 25 rankings.

The No. 24 FGCU women's basketball team earned a multitude of awards from the ASUN Conference, as fifth-year guard Tishara Morehouse earned the ASUN Women's Basketball Player of the Year and earned a spot on the ASUN Women's Basketball First-Team list for the third consecutive season.

Graduate guard Sha Carter, who was named the ASUN Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was also named to the ASUN Women's Basketball First-Team All-Conference list. Junior guard Alyza Winston was named to the Third-Team list.

For just the third time in FGCU women's basketball history, Morehouse was honored as a 2023 NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America honorable mention selection by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Morehouse joined former Eagle standouts Kierstan Bell and Keri Jewett-Giles as the only FGCU players to earn such an honor in the program's illustrious history.

Sha Carter was also named to the 2023 I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Teams -- the 14th Eagle to earn such honors.

THE EXCELLENCE CONTINUES
In 2021-22, Smesko guided a team that won the program’s sixth straight ASUN tournament championship, a first in ASUN history, while making its 12th-consecutive title game appearance. The Eagles finished 30-3 overall, including a 15-1 conference record, while capturing the regular season crown. For the eighth time in 10 seasons, FGCU qualified for the NCAA Tournament, knocking off No. 5 seed Virginia Tech in the opening round before falling to fourth-seeded Maryland.

Kierstan Bell, who was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the WNBA Draft before going on to win a WNBA title following the season, won her second-straight ASUN Player of the Year award, was named Honorable Mention All-American by the WBCA, Associated Press and USBWA and captured the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award for the second-straight season.
 
In addition to Bell, Tishara Morehouse was also named First Team All-ASUN while Kendall Spray broke the program’s Division I era record for most 3-point field goals made in a season. Following the campaign, she represented the Green and Blue in the Rocket Mortgage Three-Point Shooting Competition, capturing first place.

WINNING DESPITE COVID, LOSING 90 PERCENT OF OFFENSE
After losing over 90 percent of the team’s scoring from the previous year while also dealing with Covid-19, Smesko may have pulled off the greatest coaching job of his career in 2020-21 as he guided FGCU to a 26-3 record, including an unblemished 16-0 ASUN slate and a tournament championship, which helped the program qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

Along the ride, the Eagles reeled off a 25-game winning streak, captured the program’s 500th victory, earned a national ranking for the third time in four seasons and became the second team in program history to finish the campaign ranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls.

The season also represented the fourth in which the Fort Myers squad went undefeated in ASUN regular season play and captured the tournament championship, which is a feat that only happened one other time in the history of the conference (FIU, 1992-93). On top of that, the Eagles became the first team in league history to capture five consecutive tournament championships while making their 10th consecutive appearance in the title game.

A trio of newcomers led the Eagles in scoring - Kierstan Bell (24.3 PPG), TK Morehouse (17.7 PPG) and Aaliyah Stanley (9.6 PPG). Bell and Morehouse, who became the highest-scoring duo in program history, finished 1st and 3rd in the ASUN in scoring. While Morehouse was tabbed first-team all-conference, Bell became the first player in conference history to be named both the ASUN’s player and newcomer of the year. She finished fourth in the country in scoring, was named the Becky Hammon national mid-major player of the year and captured Honorable Mention All-American status from the AP, WBCA and USBWA. Another newcomer, Seneca Hackley, was named to the conference’s all-freshmen team while Smesko nabbed his 11th ASUN coach of the year award.

2019-20 SEASON
FGCU had arguably the best season in program history despite the CoVID-19 outbreak as the Eagles captured the program’s conference record-breaking 10th outright ASUN regular season title (in 12 seasons) before being named co-tournament champion along with Liberty, which allowed the Green and Blue to join FIU as the only two schools in ASUN history with four straight tournament titles.
 
In the non-conference portion of the schedule, FGCU knocked off defending national runner-up Notre Dame, No. 20 USF, reigning NCAA Sweet 16 participant South Dakota State, ACC power Duke and reigning NCAA Tournament participant, UCF. The Eagles stretched its streak of consecutive 25-win seasons to 10-straight and won 30-plus games for the fourth time in the past six seasons (joined only by UConn and Baylor).
 
Graduate senior Keri Jewett-Giles had a record-breaking campaign en route to breaking Sarah Hansen’s single-season (16.6) and career scoring average (14.7) program records. The hometown guard was named a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American, ASUN Player of the Year, ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District while becoming a Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year semifinalist among other awards.
 
Tytionia Adderly became the program’s all-time rebounding leader before finishing second in ASUN history with 1,185. She was the first player in conference history to compile at least 800 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals in a career. Following the season, she earned her second-straight ASUN Defensive Player of the Year award and was named First Team All-ASUN.
 
Nasrin Ulel, who produced FGCU’s highest-scoring two-game stretch with 69 points combined vs JU and UNF in February, was named Second Team All-ASUN en route to finishing third in program history for career points (1,356). Davion Wingate had a career-best season by averaging 14.7 points per game. She broke FGCU’s single-game scoring record with 38 in the ASUN quarterfinal win over Lipscomb and shattered the program’s single-season field goal percentage record (.531) before finishing with 1,364 career points.
 
In all, FGCU produced four players with 1,000 career points as Ashli O’Neal also tallied 1,114 after finishing her graduate transfer season.
 
The Eagles won the program’s 200th all-time ASUN regular season game on Feb. 22 vs NJIT, notched 16 straight wins overall at one point and completed a 42-game ASUN regular season winning streak. FGCU led the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (12.0), 3-point field goals made (397) and 3-point field goals attempted (1,155). They also led the country in fewest turnovers per game and turnover margin.
 
The Eagles appeared in the USA Today Coaches Poll a program-record 10 times during the season, topping the six appearances by the 2014-15 team. This squad also established a new standard for consecutive poll appearances with eight.
 
2018-19 SEASON
FGCU had another banner year, capturing both the ASUN regular season and tournament championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in eight seasons of eligibility. The Eagles nearly upset 4th-seeded Miami on the road in the opening round, rallying from down 14 in the third quarter to taking a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

The NCAA Tournament appearance represented the program’s 12th-straight postseason entry, which extended an NCAA record for a startup Division-I program. The team won at least 25 games for the ninth-straight season and captured its ninth ASUN regular season title in the past 11 years in dominant 16-0 fashion. It was the program’s fifth-ever undefeated conference slate, pushing its ASUN regular season winning streak to 23 dating back to Feb. 3, 2018. The team’s 24.6 scoring margin in conference play was the second-best in program history behind the 2012-13 team (25.7).

Ulel averaged a team and career-high 14 PPG to win ASUN Player of the Year, while fellow junior Adderly was named Defensive Player of the Year. Tyra Cox earned a spot on the All-Freshmen Team, while Smesko was named Coach of the Year for the 9th time. Lisa Zderadicka earned a second-team nod after averaging 9.4 points and four assists.

Jewett-Giles (12.8 PPG) and graduate transfer Destiny Washington (9.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) had big seasons for FGCU. Washington (1,072) and Zderadicka (1,035) both surpassed the 1,000 NCAA point milestones during the season.
 
The Green and Blue finished undefeated in ASUN play and won the conference tournament in the same season for the third time since the program became eligible for the tournament in 2011-12. Prior to that, only one other team had accomplished that in the now 35-year history of the conference. On top of that, the Eagles now own five undefeated regular seasons since 2012 alone, and the conference has only seen two other such seasons since 1986.
 
FGCU continued to reinforce its “Raining Threes” mantra by reaching two all-time milestones - 5,000 3-point field goals made as a program and 2,000 made 3-point field goals in ASUN play. Kerstie Phills made the 5,000th against Coppin State, while Ulel made the 2,000th at Liberty on Feb. 9.

2017-18 SEASON
FGCU had another spectacular year on the hardwood by finishing 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing both the ASUN regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years of eligibility. In the opening round, the 12th-seeded Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded Missouri for its second tournament win over the past three appearances.

The NCAA tournament appearance represented the program’s 11th-straight postseason entry. On top of that, the team’s 31-win season gave the program 30+ wins in three of the past four years.

The Green and Blue produced the best 3-point shooting team in program history by leading the nation in 3-point field goals made (431) and attempted (1,190) while finishing second in 3-point field goals per game (12.0). While two of the three (attempted) also broke program and conference single season records, the team’s 431 3-pointers recaptured the NCAA’s single season record, and the Eagles did so in 149 fewer attempts than the 2014-15 Sacramento State team, which previously held the record with 424.

The Eagles defeated three ranked teams in 2017-18, which represented the program’s first Division I wins over ranked teams. The 105 points, 22 3-point field goals, 32 assists and 50-point margin of victory in the ASUN semifinal vs Lipscomb are all ASUN tournament records. China Dow’s eight 3-point field goals in that game is a tournament record, as well.

LOOKING BACK
The Eagles rallied from a 2-5 start to capture their seventh-straight 25-win campaign in 2016-17, which culminated in the team’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons. The team finished 26-9 overall and made 338 3-point field goals, which was third-most in the nation. They suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Stetson in the regular season finale inside Alico Arena but bounced back to hand the Hatters a heartbreaking defeat of their own on their home court in the ASUN championship game. The Eagles rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter behind the clutch play of two-time ASUN tournament MVP China Dow. The team’s season ended in a controversial 62-60 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 2015-16 season stands as one of the program’s most historic years as the squad finished 33-6 overall to set a new Division I era win record. The win total stood just one shy of the 2006-07 team’s all-time record. The team produced an unblemished league record (14-0) for the fourth time in five seasons and won its sixth-straight regular season title with the performance.

The Eagles were upset in the ASUN championship game, but took the league’s automatic bid to the WNIT, where they made the most of the opportunity. After defeating Bethune-Cookman, Wake Forest and Tulane in the opening rounds, the Green and Blue knocked off Hofstra in the quarterfinals and Michigan in the semifinals before finishing as the runner-up to South Dakota. The semifinal matchup drew a program-record crowd that sold out Alico Arena for the first time in women’s basketball history. The team’s 39 games played is one shy of the all-time NCAA record for most in a season.

Following the season, Whitney Knight, who was named the ASUN Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, became the first player in program history to be drafted in the WNBA when she went to the Los Angeles Sparks with the 15th overall pick.

Smesko’s 13th team at FGCU reeled off a 26-game winning streak in 2014-15 en route to a 31-3 season and another undefeated conference slate. They actually won 29 of 30 during one stretch with the only loss coming in double overtime to Ohio State in the U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam event. The team earned the program’s first-ever Division I national ranking, elevating as high as 20th and finishing 21st in the nation in the AP and Coaches Polls. That season also represented the program's third 30-win season, and the team also earned the program’s first NCAA Division I tournament win - 75-67 over 10th-seeded Oklahoma State.

FGCU compiled a 26-8 record (17-1 in ASUN play) in 2013-14 and won a fourth-straight ASUN regular season title while capturing the conference tournament for the second time in three seasons. The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to eventual Sweet 16 team and No. 5 seed Oklahoma State in overtime. The season marked the 10th straight in which the program won at least 20 games and marked the 10th-consecutive in which a Smesko-coached team won at least 20 games.  

Smesko steered a team in 2012-13 that became the first to go undefeated in ASUN play in back-to-back seasons, finishing with the most victories (27) of the 13 Division I institutions in the state of Florida and capturing the program’s third consecutive ASUN regular season crown. Led by the ASUN Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Sarah Hansen and ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Brittany Kennedy, FGCU participated in their sixth consecutive Division I postseason tournament (WNIT). Leading the nation and the ASUN in 3-point field goals per game (9.4) for the second year in a row, the Green and Blue ranked in the top 40 in the country in 13 different statistical categories in the final NCAA rankings.

Less than 14 months after tying the NCAA’s all-time single-game 3-point field goal record with 21 against Webber International on Nov. 28, 2011, the Eagles knocked down an NCAA record 22 in a win over ETSU on Jan. 12, 2013. Western Illinois (28) and Sacramento State (25, twice) have since broken the record, but FGCU still holds three of the top six single game performances entering the 2020-21 season.
 
In 2011-12, Smesko led the team to a 29-3 finish overall (.906), which remains the third-best record in a first full-fledged year of NCAA Division I status ever behind Louisiana Tech (1981-82, 35-1, .972) and South Dakota State (2008-09, 32-3, .914). In the postseason, the team became just the third in ASUN history to win the tournament championship in its initial season of eligibility. The Eagles knocked off Stetson 67-39 in the championship game and also became just the second team in conference history to post an undefeated regular season (18-0) while also winning the postseason tournament. With seven 3-pointers in the team’s opening round NCAA Tournament matchup against St. Bonaventure, FGCU broke the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals in a season (342) while also breaking the Division I record for 3-point field goals made per game (10.7).

While leading his team to the first 18-0 record in ASUN history, Smesko also won his 300th career game on Dec. 19, 2011 against USC Upstate in what was one of 17 games the Eagles won by at least 20 during the season. FGCU finished fourth in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll of the season and checked in at 59 in the final RPI, which was 67 spots ahead of the next closest ASUN team. Smesko led the Green and Blue through a solid non-conference slate as the Eagles faced six teams that made postseason appearances the year before, including two of which won their conference tournament. His team went 5-1 in those games, including a hard-fought 59-58 win over reigning Big Ten champ Michigan State in Alico Arena. Kelsey Jacobson, a senior guard, finished her career ranked first on the FGCU and ASUN career lists in career three-point field goals made (330).
 
Smesko led the Green and Blue to a 28-4 overall record (17-3 ASUN) in 2010-11, en route to being named ASUN Coach of the Year and securing the program’s eighth 20-plus win season in nine years, along with a second ASUN regular season crown and fourth-consecutive automatic bid to the WNIT. FGCU extended its home winning streak to 42 games in 2010-11, which at the time was the third longest in the nation behind UConn and Stanford, before dropping a highly competitive game to SEC foe Florida, 74-69, in front of a then Alico Arena record crowd of 4,543 in the second round of the WNIT. In August 2010, Smesko was ranked fourth on a list honoring the top NCAA Division I mid-major head coaches by the National Women’s Basketball Insider website.
 
Smesko’s 2009-10 team finished 24-7 overall and 17-3 in ASUN play to earn the program’s third-straight bid to the WNIT, becoming the first in ASUN history to accomplish the feat. The team’s season, which began in the Preseason WNIT for the first time in program history, saw the Eagles extend their home winning streak to 24 games, which was the fourth-longest current streak in Division I women’s basketball at the time.
 
The program’s second season as a probationary Division I team in 2008-09 saw the Eagles finish 26-5 overall and 17-3 in ASUN play. The team won its first ASUN regular season championship and led the conference in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-point field goals made. The season ended with a loss to eventual champion South Florida in the second round of the WNIT.
 
Smesko guided FGCU to a second-place finish in the ASUN in the program’s first Division I probationary season behind a 13-3 record in 2007-08. The team finished 22-9 overall and finished second in the conference in free throw percentage and field goal percentage. Delia De La Torre and Chelsea Dermyer became the program’s first-ever All-ASUN selections by earning spots on the second team. The team picked up its first Division I postseason win with a 67-65 victory over South Florida in the opening round of the WNIT before falling to Florida in the second round to finish the season.
 
karl smesko before first division I game

In 2006-07, the program’s final season of Division II play began at No. 19 in the NCAA Division II poll and saw the team knock off West Florida 69-57 in the season opener, rise to No. 1 in early February behind an unblemished record, win the National Independent Tournament later that month and proceed to knock off four ranked teams before suffering the season’s first and only loss (34-1) to Southern Connecticut State in the national championship game.
 
That team, which finished 337-for-891 (.378) from 3-point range, ranked in the top 20 nationally in 12 categories: No. 1 in win-loss percentage and scoring margin, No. 2 in scoring defense, No. 3 in 3-point field goal percentage, No. 5 in scoring offense, No. 6 in assists per game, No. 8 in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, No. 11 in steals per game, No. 18 in turnovers per game and No. 20 in rebounding margin.

Smesko’s 2005-06 team at FGCU finished 29-2 overall and compiled a 17-1 record at home. The team knocked off No. 22 Valdosta State 54-47 on Dec. 3 and earned the program’s first-ever national ranking midway through December at No. 24 by the WBCA. The team rose as high as No. 11 in the national poll and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Region semifinals before falling to Delta State. The team won its first postseason game with a 48-46 victory over Rollins College in the south region quarterfinals.
 
In the program’s first season of Division II play, Smesko guided the team to a 21-9 record in 2004-05. Three players – Andrea Clarke (14.8), Candy Myers (13.3) and Eboni Halliburton (10.5) – averaged in double figure points, while Clarke (6.5/game) also led the team in rebounding.

Despite several injuries that limited the roster to 10 players, Smesko guided FGCU to an 18-8 record in 2003-04. Despite having the program’s worst 3-point shooting team (118-for-406, .291), the Eagles pounded the ball inside behind the play of Robyn Swain and Andrea Clarke. Swain, who transferred from Wright State prior to the 2002-03 season, closed out a phenomenal two-year career with the Eagles by averaging a team-high 13.9 points and 12.3 rebounds, while Clarke averaged 11.4 points and five rebounds.

In the program’s first season, Smesko led the Green and Blue to a 30-1 record in 2002-03 that included a 21-game winning streak to close the season. The team’s first game resulted in a 75-58 win over NAIA No. 18 Ohio Dominican. Following that, they reeled off eight more wins before losing for the first and only time of the season – 64-55 to St. Francis (Ind.). Trish Fleming, who previously played for Smesko at Purdue Fort Wayne, averaged a team-high 19.9 points, while Robyn Swain registered 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Fleming’s point total (578) still stands as the second most in a single season, and the 2002-03 team still holds the program’s single-season record for best 3-point field goal percentage (212-for-535, .396).

COACHING TREE
Many former student-athletes or members of Smesko's coaching staffs at FGCU have went on to become coaches elsewhere.

Former FGCU Players

  • Chelsea Banbury (2005-08) is the head coach at High Point University. She also spent 11 years on FGCU’s coaching staff, rising as high as associate head coach prior to her departure.
  • Jaime Gluesing (2012-15) is an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at High Point University. She spent three years prior to that as an assistant at Milwaukee.
  • Brittany Brown (2008-10) is an assistant coach at High Point University. She was previously an assistant coach at Delaware State and spent five years as the head coach at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) from 2013-18.
  • Jessica Cattani (2013-18) is an assistant coach at High Point University after spending last year as the director of operations. She spent one year prior to that as a graduate assistant coach at Western Kentucky.
  • Nasrin Ulel (2016-20) is the director of player development at High Point after previously serving as the director of operations there.
  • Jenna Cobb (2012-15) spent four years on FGCU’s staff following her graduation before moving away to start a family in the summer of 2019.
  • Shannon Murphy (2007-11) returned to FGCU as an assistant coach prior to the 2019-20 season. She previously spent six seasons on staff at Embry-Riddle University and has since been promoted to recruiting coordinator for the Green and Blue.
  • Mandi Pierce (2006-08) spent four years on the staff at FGCU from 2016-20 with the final season as an assistant coach after three campaigns as the director of operations.
  • Sydnei McCaskill (2016-18) is in her first season as an assistant coach at Marshall University after three seasons on staff at FGCU (two as director of operations and one as video coordinator.
  • Destiny Washington (2018-19) spent time as the head varsity coach at Stewart County High School in Lumpkin, Georgia after previously serving as a graduate assistant coach at Lake Erie College.
  • Chelsea Lyles (2008-10) is in her fourth season as associate head coach at FGCU and is in her 13th season on staff overall.
  • Kate (Schrader) Bruce (2005-07) is in her first season as the head coach at IUPUI after an illustrious six-year career at Walsh University where she became the program’s all-time wins leader. Prior to that, she spent three seasons at Ohio University (2013-16) and Youngstown State (2010-13), which followed a stint as a graduate assistant at FGCU.
  • Jen Conely (2005-07) is the head coach at Wisconsin Parkside, where she is in her fifth season. Prior to that, she spent one season as an assistant coach at Walsh University and eight years as an assistant at the University of Indianapolis.
  • Katie (Meador) Steffen (2012-16) is the head coach at Centralia (Ill.) High School.
  • Betsy Adams (2012-13) spent two seasons as the director of operations/student-athlete development at Incarnate Word after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the program. She also spent two years as a graduate assistant at Arkansas and has since transitioned into the business world, where she is the GM at Leman Engineering and Consulting, Inc. in Brookston, Ind.
  • Stephanie Haas (2012-16) is in her fifth season as an assistant coach at Ohio University after spending two seasons as FGCU’s video coordinator following her graduation.
  • Sarah Hansen (2009-14) spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Mercyhurst University from 2017-19.
  • Sarah Brolsma-Whitfield (2010-12) served as an assistant coach at Lane Community College.
  • Brittany Kennedy (2010-13) is an assistant girls basketball coach at her alma mater, Lewis and Clark High School, in Washington.
  • Sheahen Dowling (2017-21) is in her first season as the director of video operations at FGCU following a one-year stint as a graduate assistant at Valparaiso.
  • Kendall Spray (2021-22) is in her first season as the director of operations at FGCU after spending her final collegiate season with the Green and Blue.
  • China Dow (2016-18) is in her first season as an assistant coach at IUPUI after spending three seasons coaching at the high school level at Martha Layne Collins High School in Shelbyville, Ky.
Former FGCU Assistant Coaches
  • Nicki Collen (2014-16) is the head coach at Baylor University after spending three seasons as head coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. She spent one season as an assistant with the Connecticut Sun immediately after leaving FGCU.
  • LeAnn Freeland-Curry (2003-07) is in her 11th year as head coach at Nova Southeastern. Prior to that, she spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Indianapolis.
  • Bob Boldon (2009-10) is in his 10th season as head coach at Ohio University. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as an assistant at Youngstown State.
  • Lindsay Werntz (2002-03) is in her first season as the associate head coach at Denver after spending the previous two years as an assistant on the staff. Prior to that, she spent seven seasons as the director of operations at Tulane. Before Tulane, she served as an assistant at Loyola University New Orleans, the head coach at Hill College, an assistant at Nevada and an assistant at Midland College.
  • Ericka Haney (2007-09) is in her first as head coach at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio after spending several seasons as the special assistant to head coach Kevin McGuff at Ohio State.

PERSONAL
Smesko, a native of Bath, Ohio, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kent State in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. Following that, he completed his master’s degree in education from Walsh University in 1998.

His father, Al, is a former teacher who served as the head boys basketball coach at Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio from 1969-83. He was inducted into the Revere High School Athletics Hall of Fame and the Greater Akron Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Karl’s brother, Kyle, is the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Norwich University’s football program.

IN THE NEWS
College basketball’s ultimate mad scientist, philosopher and professor (The Next)
By Eric Rynston-Lobel (Jan. 12, 2023) - READ HERE

'No. Midrange. Jumpers.' How One Mid-Major Has Stayed Ahead of the Curve (SI.com)
By Emma Baccallieri (Jan. 4, 2023) - READ HERE

FGCU coach built organization and success from the ground up (WINK News)
By Peter Fleischer (Nov. 24, 2022) - READ HERE

Bell's draft pick part of another stellar hoops season (FGCU360)
By Seth Soffian (June 2022) - READ HERE

FGCU's NCAA seeding puzzles its conference and its opponent (Associated Press)
By Associated Press (March 2022) - READ HERE

Women's team rules ASUN, ranks top 25 nationally (FGCU360)
By Seth Soffian (May 2021) - READ HERE

FGCU’s big week highlighted by 500th win, upcoming ESPNU game (The Next)
By Christine Hopkins (Dec. 22, 2020) - READ HERE

The Coach That Built A Powerhouse Program (Estero Life Magazine)
By Scott Graison (October 2019) - READ HERE

Smesko Still Loyal After 20 Years, Pays it Forward at FGCU
(Nothing But Nylon)
By Justin Meyer (April 15, 2019) - READ HERE

Success Is Validation For Smesko Style: Shoot Threes, Drive Hard (Nothing But Nylon)
By Justin Meyer (April 3, 2019) - READ HERE

Winning Built From Scratch, Smesko Created FGCU Culture (Nothing But Nylon)
By Justin Meyer (March 28, 2019) - READ HERE

Smesko's Immediate Success Starts With Willingness To Adapt (Nothing But Nylon)
By Justin Meyer (March 21, 2019) - READ HERE

Coach Smesko and Lessons In Winning (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
By David Sendler (March 2019) - READ HERE

One Returned Phone Call Sent Karl Smesko Toward Coaching Greatness (Nothing But Nylon)
By Justin Meyer (March 10, 2019) - READ HERE

He Blushes About It, Karl Smesko Is Now Mr. 500 (Naples Daily News)
By Dana Caldwell (Nov. 26, 2018) - READ HERE

Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball pulls off 12-5 upset of Missouri in NCAA Tournament (NCAA.com)
By Janie McCauley (March 18, 2018) – READ HERE

With NCAA victory, FGCU women’s basketball team proves it belongs (Naples Daily News)
By David Moulton (March 17, 2018) – READ HERE

Raining 3s: FGCU keeps flourishing from beyond the arc (AP)
By Tim Reynolds (March 13, 2018) - READ HERE
 
This ASUN title was special for the FGCU women’s basketball team (Naples Daily News)
By David Moulton (March 11, 2018) – READ HERE

Now That's Dedication - Again this season, Smesko's five aides are former Eagles (Bonita and Estero Magazine)
By Jeff Lytle (Jan/Feb. 2018) - READ HERE

FGCU is the last school unbeaten in D-I league play (AP)
By Tim Reynolds (Jan. 31, 2018) – READ HERE

Staying Home: FGCU's Staff All Played For The Eagles (AP)
By Tim Reynolds (Jan. 27, 2017) - READ HERE

Kaneisha Atwater – Playing For Two (NCAA)
By Melissa Lyttle (Winter 2015) - READ HERE

Success Runs Deeper Than All The 3-Pointers (N.Y. Times)
By Scott Cacciola (March 5, 2015) - READ HERE

Ranked For First Time, FGCU Women Now Facing New Challenge (AP)
By Tim Reynolds (Feb. 17, 2015) - READ HERE

Smesko Carving Out A Name At Florida Gulf Coast (USA Today)
By Tim Reynolds (Nov. 12, 2014) – READ HERE

FGCU To Make Most Of Opportunity (ESPN)
By Mechelle Voepel (Nov. 26, 2013) - READ HERE

FGCU Eyes First NCAA Tournament (ESPN)
By Graham Hays (Feb. 22, 2012) - READ HERE

Season that started roughly for FGCU women’s basketball turning special (Naples Daily News)
By David Moulton (Jan. 13, 2011) – READ HERE

Pushing All The Right Buttons (Naples Daily News)
By Dana Caldwell (March 17, 2007)– READ HERE

1997-98 Walsh University Women Inducted Into Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame - 2012
READ HERE

Glass Slipper Fit 1997-98 Walsh Women’s Basketball Team (CantonRep.com)
By Mike Popovich (March 12, 2017) – READ HERE

*Some wins later vacated